Improvement in breech-loading fire-arms



P. A. THUER. Breech Loading Pire-Arm.

0 7 8 1 2 1 y 11 H .J d e u H 6 b a D v }w (ziahmer N PETERS FNOTO-LITHDGRAPHER WASHINGTON D 6 "dilated States F. ALEXANDER THUER, OF EAST HARTFORD, ASSI GNOR TO THE OOLTS PATENT Letters Patent No. 105,388, dated. July 1-2, 1870.

IMPROVEMENT IN BREECH-LOADING- FIRE-ARMS.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of the same.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, F. ALEXANDER THUER, of East Hartford, in the county of Hartford and State of Connecticut, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Breech-loading Fire-Arms; and I do hereby declare the following t-o be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being bad to the accompanying drawing making part of this specification, in which- .Figure 1 is a side view of a pistol embodying my invention is shown as opened.

I Figure 7 is cross-section at line Y, fig. 5.

Similar letters of reference denote the same part in the several figures.

My invention relates to the mechanism for ejecting flanged metallic-cased cartridges, or the empty shellsfrom the chamber of the arm, having for its object to insure the certain and sudden emptying of the chamber after the breech-chamber is uncovered. To this end,

.My invention consists in an ejector, the movement of which to eject the shell' is produced by a spring, in combination with a bolt or other .detent,

' so connected with the said springejector that the ejector can thereby be bolted fast, so that it may not spring outward, but which bolt may, after the breech is uncovered, be withdrawn from the ejector, which,

thus released, will spring outward and eject the shell or cartridge from the chamber.

Prior to my invention spring-ejectors have, like mine, been so arranged as not to act by the spring until after the breech-chamber has been uncovered, as, for example, in the cases of United States patents to .Wm. S. Smoot and to Albert Ball; but my invention ofiers the advantages over these of cheapness and simplicity in its application ts many kinds of breech-loaders. It is more reliable in its action than arrangements in whicha spring-ejector presses constantly outward on the flange of the shell, and is permitted to spring outward by the removal of some resistance which prevents the movement of the shell until relieved.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, 1- will proceed-to describe it in its application to one kind of breech-loading pistol which is in very common use, and is represented in the drawing, in whicha is the barrel, pivoted, at b, to the stock on frame 0, on which is formed the breech or recoil-surface (I, so that by swinging the stock laterally into the position shown in fig. 6, the rear end of the barrel is entirely uncovered, and the breech-chamber exposed for the insertion of the cartridge and the removal of the empty case.

e is the hammer, raised to the safety-bent, and f the trigger. These parts, so far as above described, do not differ in form nor function from what have been used before my invention.

an is an ejector, pressed outward or rearward by a coil-spring,"n, and sliding in a tube formed on the lower part of the barrel parallel with the bore.

This sliding ejector m is formed with a head, 0, on which is a spur, T, which enters through a channel into the charge-chamber of the barrel, where it lies in front of the cartridge-case flange when this is inserted, (see figs. 2, 5, and 6.)

s is a screw, which passes across a notch made in the ejector m, and forms a stop to limit the distance to which the ejector may be thrown by its spring.

The end of the head 0 of the ejector is so shaped that the breech, in closing, forces the ejector inward into the position shown in figs. 3 and 5.

a is a sliding bolt, which lies in a channel formed in the lower. part of the barrel.

This bolt is so located that it may, when the ejector is forced inward nearly as far as possible, (as in figs. 3 and 5,) enter a notch, 1', made across the ejector m. This bolt serves as a detent, and, when in engagement with the notch r, prevents the ejector from springing outward.

A pin, w, attached to the bottom of the bolt a, and projecting below the lower surface of the barrel a, furnishes a means of moving the bolt 'u to lock or unlock the-ejector.

This pin w enters a recess, z, made in the surface of that part of the frame 0 which adjoins the lower surface of the barrel.

The recess 5 is so located and shaped that, when the breech is nearly closed, one end (which I call the outer end) of the recess, strikes the pin w, and slides the bolt u inward, so as to lock the ejector or, (see figs. 5 and 7.) But when the breech is opened by swinging the stock around, (as shown in fig. 6,) so as to wholly uncover the breech-chamber, the inner end of the recess .1 then strikes the pin 10, and slides the bolt a outward, so as to unlock the ejector.

A slight indentation in the breech surface, shown by a dotted line at p, figs. 5 and 6, receives the end of the head 0 when the breech is closed.

The operation of my invention is as follows further movement of The breech having been opened by a relative turning of the barreland st ock, a flanged cartridge, of the ordinary construction, is inserted into the chamber far enough to permit the breech to be closed.

The movement of the breech in closing pushes the cartridge quite home,.and the breech surface' acting also on the rounded surface of the head of the ejector m, pushes this inward far enough to permit-the bolt u to lock' the ejector, which locking is efiected by a the breech in. closing,

The notch 12 is of such width that the ejector. may, when locked, spring outward far enough only to permit the head 0 to snap into the indentation pin the breech, which it enters when the breech is quite closed, and thus forms acatch to prevent accidental displacemeuttof the breech, but itpermits the breechto be opened by the exertion of considerable force.

When it is desired to remove the shell of a spent cartridge, or the loaded cartridge itself, all that is required is to open the breech to its fullest extent.

This entirely uncovers the cartridge-head, and, by moving a short distance beyond this point, withdraws the bolt u and releases the ejector m, which springs suddenly outward and strikes, with its spur 0*, a violent blow on the cartridge-shcll flange, at the same time forcing it suddenly outward, and t violently from the breech-chamber.

My invention is applicable to many kinds of breechloadiug arms difl'erin ings; as, for example, to those with ward swinging breech-blocks,

'ectors swung on upward and forand to those with extractors or e a fulcrum like Albert Balls.

The spring ejector need not be pushed in by the surface of be forced in by the cartridge flang when this is pushed in by any means; The bolt, also, handto lock or unlock the eject knob to its outer end.

What I claim as my invention, by Letters Patent, is

The combination of the swinging barrel a, sliding spring-ejecter m, and the sliding bolt'u, arranged and operating substantially in the manner and for the purpose specified.

' F. ALEXANDER THUER.

be 50 arranged as to the breech, but may or, by attaching a and desire to secure Witnesses HORACE Loren, O. B. RICHARDS.

hus ejecting it g from the one shown in the drawmay be moved by 

